


Deadly Performance

by Foxdemonsrock



Category: Young Justice
Genre: Action, Angst, Bromance, Dick centric, Drama, Episode Re-Write, Episode Related, Fluff, Gen, Haley's Circus, Secrets, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Unpleasant memories, slight birdflash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-23 19:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxdemonsrock/pseuds/Foxdemonsrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The episode 'Performance' but with a twist. Instead of the villain being Parasite, Robin has to face a ghost from his past. Can he keep his secret identify hidden from his team while trying to take down the one who changed his life forever? Rated for language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (The italics and underlined means the conversation is through the mindlink)
> 
> So, I didn't like the lack of emotion in the characters, so I decided to re-write the episode :P tried to keep all the characters pretty IC. From first season. 
> 
> Moved from FF.net

**December 22. 20:08pm. Bruges.**

"Welcome to Haley's Circus!" An older man dressed in a top hat and a colorful suit calls loudly into the microphone to the audience. The ringleader bows grandly in the big top circus tent, smiling warmly. "Tonight's performance is starring our newest act! The Daring Dangers!" The ringleader steps aside as the spotlight flashes back to the teens behind him. He starts introducing the teens as Roy and Artemis shoot off flaming arrows and Conner lifts up a bolder above his head effortlessly. Megan and Dick soar through the air on the trapeze.

 _Robin. Is everything alright?_  Megan's soft voice comes through the mindlink as the two land on opposing platforms.

 _Yeah…think I just picked up that twenty-four hour bug that's been going around._  Dick answers, wiping sweat from his forehead. He jumps off the platform with the trapeze in hand as Megan does the same. The acrobat flips through the air and reaches out for the martian's hand, only to fall short. His eyes widen in horror as he starts to plummet towards the ground. Megan quickly uses her telekinesis to catch him and pull his hand into hers.  _Don't break cover._

 _No one will notice from way up here._  Megan states soothingly as the crowd goes wild.  _They love it._

 _Thanks for the save…_  Dick's voice comes through quietly as they both land back on their platforms, holding their arms up and bowing for the crowd.

_ Anytime. _

* * *

After the show, the team hangs back, observing the other circus members' interactions. The Interpol agent storms off, after trying to unsuccessfully intimidate the owner of the circus, Jack Haley. There had been a string of robberies of weapons technology in all of the cities the international circus had been in. The team was undercover to see what was really going on and to try to clear the circus' name. Roy frowns, glancing over at their youngest member.

"You're not looking so good…maybe you should go rest…"

"I'm fine." Dick snaps before leaning against a crate for support.

"He's right…you'll need your strength for later." Megan steps forward, placing a comforting hand on the young bird's shoulder. Dick quickly smacks her hand away, shrinking away from her touch.

"Just back off." He growls before storming off. Conner glares after him as Artemis raises an eyebrow.

"What's got  _his_  tights in a twist?"

"He had a fever…maybe it had something to do with that?" Megan tries to reason, rubbing her hand absently. She had never seen him react like that…something must have happened.

* * *

Megan approaches the door to Dick's room cautiously with Artemis close behind for moral support. She glances back at the blonde nervously, who nods in encouragement. The martian reaches up, gently knocking on the door.

"R-..Dan? Is everything alright? You haven't eaten dinner yet, so we brought you something to eat…"

"Not hungry." Dick's muffled response through the door earns a frown from the two women.

"Can we get you anything at least?" The archer asks, starting to grow worried about their teammate.

"No."

"Rob-"

"Go away." Her eyes narrow as she grabs Megan's hand, dragging her off. Megan gasps at the forceful behavior as they make it back to their room. Artemis looks around suspiciously before closing and locking their door.

"What are we doing?" Megan asks nervously. She was growing concerned at the furious look on the archer's face.

"Wally knows him the best. I'm getting his lazy ass up here to fix Robin." Artemis pulls out her comm link, placing it in her ear.

"What if he's just sick and doesn't want to be bothered?"

"I think it's something more than that…he seemed rattled…I've never seen him like that…he  _always_  keeps his cool." She clicks the communicator on, rolling her eyes at Wally's typical response.

"Awesome Speedster here. How may I help you?"

"Robin's acting weird." She frowns at the long pause from the ginger on the other end.

"…Weird  _how_?"

"Well, we're on a undercover mission in Bruges at the moment…we're a part of Haley's International Circus, investigating a string of robberies…everything was going fine until Robin got sick tonight…"

"…Wait…you're at Haley's? Is Bats okay with this?"

"He said Batman and Red Tornado authorized it."

"Did anything different happen?"

"Well…he wasn't at one-hundred percent tonight, so he fell a little bit, but Megan caught him."

"I'll be there in five minutes." Wally quickly ends the comm link as the archer's eyebrows knit in concern. Megan glances at her curiously.

"How did it go?"

"Strange to say the least…Wally is on his way here."

"Oh…I didn't expect that."

"I didn't expect him to come so easily. I thought he was going to whine about it."

* * *

Roy cocks an eyebrow as Wally slowly approaches. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Artey called me…said Rob was acting weird…I'm here to help!"

"He's a strong kid. He can handle himself."

"I know he's strong…hell…he's probably stronger than all of us…but I'm his best friend…I can't just leave him when I know something's wrong." Roy sighs, nodding slowly.

"He always did trust you the most…his room is the last door on the left." Wally smiles warmly.

"Thanks, Roy." He trots off towards Dick's room and knocks on the door. When he doesn't hear an answer, he kicks the door open, much to the bird's surprise.

"What the hell?" Dick shouts, throwing the covers off of his head. His eyes widen in shock upon seeing his best friend. "What…? Why…?"

"You're at Haley's…" Dick nods slowly as Wally puts the door back on the hinges before sitting next to the bird. "And you fell from the trapeze." The acrobat flinches, looking away.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not…it's alright, Dick…you don't have to pretend in front of me." Wally wraps an arm around his best friend's shoulder, pulling him into a hug. Dick leans into the touch, resting his head on the ginger's shoulder.

"I could have ended up like them…" He mumbles hollowly.

"But you didn't."

"I almost died the same way they did…" Dick's eyes water as his breath hitches. "I know how they felt as they-…"

"Dick. Stop thinking like that. You know Megan, let alone the rest of the team, would let you get hurt…"

"I know…but…this place…it still brings back so many memories…they even still have posters everywhere…it's like constantly being slapped in the face." Wally squeezes him tighter.

"Just remember. I'll always have your back…and I'm not going anywhere." Dick nods slowly, wiping his eyes. "Now, get suited up. We have a thief to catch! We have to clear Jack's name, after all!" The acrobat smiles softly, nodding again as Wally makes for the door.

"Wally?" The ginger turns around, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Thank you…I'm sorry I didn't invite you earlier." Wally waves his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. That's what best friends are for!" He beams before walking out.

* * *

The team crouches down in their positions to stake out the weapons warehouse.

"Are you sure this is where the thief is going to hit?" Roy asks, readying his bow.

"Yes. According to the patterns from the other thefts, this place has the most advanced weaponry." Dick states, checking the stats again on his hologlove.

"How are you feeling, Robin?" Megan asks worriedly as she eyes his pallor complexion.

"Like crap, actually…but I'll manage." The bird's eyes narrow as a shadow makes its way to the dark warehouse. "Looks like we got him." He grins, disappearing into the shadows with his eerie cackle.

* * *

The thief pries yet another crate open, grinning when he finally finds what he was looking for. "Perfect." He pauses, hearing a laugh coming from the darkness above him.

"Looks like we've caught you red handed…bet you're red faced too!" Dick smirks, crossing his arms.

"Acrobatics won't save you this time." Artemis states, knocking an arrow and aiming at the thief as Roy does the same.

"You're too late…I already have what I came for." The burglar sneers, whipping out match, and blows fire at them. The team dives out of the way. When they look back, the thief was gone, leaving the lit match by a crate full of live ammo.

"Crap! Get down!" Dick shouts, but it was too late. The warehouse explodes, sending the team flying in all different directions. Conner managed to hold a piece of collapsed roof over Megan and Artemis, protecting them.

"Is everyone alright?" Conner calls out, tossing the piece of roof off to the side.

"Get Megan out…we'll go after the thief!" Dick answers, staggering to his feet. He coughs roughly before collapsing, blood slowly trickling from his head. Wally gets up tiredly, wincing as he hauls a piece of concrete off of his left arm before getting up. It didn't appear to be broken, but it was definitely going to leave a mark. His eyes widen when he hears Conner calling out for Robin, as his voice gets further away. The clone was no doubt getting the martian away from the fire.

"Rob? Roy? Artey?" Wally shouts, looking around frantically through the blaze. A piece of rubble topples over next to him, causing him to jump. Roy glares over at him, looking worse for wear.

"Artemis is fine. Conner got her and Megan out. We need to find Robin." Wally nods in agreement, helping his fellow ginger look. They both pause in shock when they see their bird crumpled on the ground.

"Robin!" They call out in unison, rushing over to their comrade and long time friend. The two haul Dick up, and start dragging him towards the exit. Before they could make it out, the roof starts caving in causing them to curse under their breath. Just before a metal rafter hits them, Conner rushes in, shoving them out of the way and catches what would have been his teammates' doom.

"Thanks, Conner…I owe you one!" Wally beams, picking himself off the ground. The clone nods, tossing the metal beam off to the side. He heads out of the burning warehouse with the three remaining members of his team before eyeing Dick wearily.

"Is he alright?"

"He probably has a concussion…and smoke inhalation…but he'll be fine…just needs to sleep it off." Wally states, as Roy nods in agreement, taking a closer look at the cut on the bird's head.

"Now, we need to get out of here before the poliece show up." The others nod in agreement. Conner scoops Megan up and they all head back to the circus; the gingers carrying their fallen bird the whole way to safety. Once he regained consciousness, they had a lot to discuss. Was every member of the circus seriously a part of a crime ring?


	2. Thief Revealed

Wally gently lays his unconscious best friend down on his bed and tucks him in once the two gingers had gotten him out of his Robin costume and into his pajamas. Roy walks up to them with a first aid kit and sets it down on the bed, opening it up.

"He probably has a concussion…has his fever come down at all?" The archer asks, starting to clean the wound on the bird's forehead. Wally nods, stepping aside to let Roy work.

"His fever is finally gone at least…once Bats finds out he got injured, there's going to be hell to pay."

"Batman didn't assign this mission, did he?"

"No. I doubt he even knows about it…this mission is all Robin." Roy raises an eyebrow, starting to bandage the wound.

"I'm surprised he isn't trying to hunt Robin down."

"He trusts him not to do something stupid…I'm sure Bats knows where he is, anyway. No doubt he has trackers on all of us."

"True. This place must be something important to Rob…" Wally nods sadly.

"You have  _no_  idea." Once finishing bandaging Dick's wound, the archer sighs, shutting the first aid kit.

"We should let him get some rest..God knows the kid needs it." Wally nods in agreement, heading towards the door. They both pause, hearing Dick stir. "Figures." Roy grumbles under his breath. The bird sits up slowly, holding his head in pain. His eyes widen as he clamps a hand over his mouth. Taking the hint, Wally grabs the trashcan, thrusting it into Dick lap just as the young bird vomits. Dick coughs roughly, wiping his mouth.

"Ugh. So not feeling the aster." He mumbles, setting the trashcan down on the floor in disgust. "And thanks, KF." Wally nods, sighing.

"Guess you  _do_  have a concussion."

"I just need to walk it off." Dick tries to get out of bed, only to be stopped by the two gingers.

"You should rest. You're just getting over that twenty-four hour bug as well." Roy reprimands, causing the young bird to glower.

"I'm  _fine_. I need to get out of this room and stretch my legs."

"But-"

"We're not going to convince him otherwise." Wally states, sighing heavily. "I'll go with him. Go get some rest yourself, Roy. We're going to need all the strength we have tomorrow…we'll be packing up the  _entire_ circus." The speedster groans, not looking forward to the manual labor. Roy nods slowly, before heading towards the door.

"Don't stay out too late. You two are going to need sleep as well. And Wally. Make sure his concussion doesn't get worse." Wally salutes the archer, causing Roy to roll his eyes, smirking, as he heads out the door. Dick throws the covers off of himself and gets up unsteadily. Wally catches his best friend as he stumbles, and frowns.

"You probably shouldn't really be walking around just yet." Dick rolls his eyes, waving his hand dismissively.

"I'm good. It's not like this is my first concussion. I just need some fresh air." Wally sighs heavily, putting Dick's arm around his shoulder to support him.

"Alright…where would you like to go?" Dick pouts.

"I can walk by myself."

"I'm sure you can. This is for my own piece of mind." Dick continues to pout, leading the way out of the train and out into the dark circus grounds. They wander aimlessly for about ten minutes in a comfortable silence before coming across a 'Flying Graysons' poster. Dick pauses, staring up at the familiar poster sorrowfully. Wally pulls the bird into a side hug, wordlessly letting him know that he was there for support.

"Robin?" Artemis asks from behind them in concern. They turn around to face her and her eyes widen, seeing the tears in the thirteen-year-old's eyes. He quickly looks away, sniffling, and uses his sleeves to wipe away his tears. The female archer marches up to the ginger and slaps him across the face. "What did you say to him?" Wally glares over at her, holding his stinging cheek in pain.

"What the hell? I didn't do anything!"

"He's  _crying_! Robins doesn't  _cry_!"

"I'm alright, Artemis…it's just the concussion messing me up…thanks though." Dick states quietly, sniffling again. "Let's just go to bed…we can investigate some more tomorrow." With that, Dick walks off, back towards the train as Wally and Artemis frown.

"Is he really alright?" She asks, staring after the bird.

"He will be. Just give him some time." Wally states sadly.

"Thank you for coming…he never lets any of us in…we don't know what to do when he's upset…I mean, I've never even seen him like this."

"He doesn't like getting like this either…there's only one other person he breaks down in front of and he's not here at the moment."

"Is it his dad?" Wally looks down sadly, shaking his head.

"It's complicated. Maybe, someday, he'll tell you the story." With that, the speedster heads back into the train to get some much needed sleep.

* * *

**December 23. 8:00am.** **Bruges.**

The team starts to load up the train as the Interpol agent interrogates Jack Haley. Conner listens in with his super-hearing, using the mindlink to relay the conversation to the rest of the team.

 _I personally checked all of the bunks last night and everyone was accounted for._  Haley replies to the agent before storming off. Megan's eyes narrow suspiciously.

_ We definitely weren't…and if he was lying about us…who else was he lying about? _

_Jack has nothing to do with this._  Dick growls, carrying another box to the train.  _Last night, I checked into the stolen weapons technology. All of the stolen items are the parts necessary to create a black hole._

 _To do that, they would need a particle accelerator._ Roy frowns, loading yet another box.

 _Like the large Boson Collider in Geneva?_  Dick states, raising an eyebrow. Roy's eyes widen as he nearly drops the box he was loading.

 _That's our next stop_.

"Everyone hurry up! We're leaving in an hour!" Haley calls out, before getting back into the train. Conner crosses his arms, staring after him.

 _Someone's in a hurry_.

 _Let's just get this done so we can investigate_. Dick snaps in irritation. The others nod in agreement, quickly packing up the train.

 _Why do you keep defending him? He's clearly guilty._  Conner growls.

_ Because everyone is jumping to conclusions! Sometimes the answer isn't as simple as it appears. Just keep an open mind. _

_ Fine. But if it really is him in the end- _

_It won't be_. Dick hisses ominously.  _We_ _ **will**_ _find the real thief and bring him to justice._ The others look at each other wearily before starting to pack up the train once again.

* * *

**December 23. 9:00am.** **Bruges.**

Just as everyone was about to board the train, Dick pauses, someone hiding in the shadows catching his eye. He frowns, looking to where the figure was, only to see Ray walking out from behind a tree. Ray spots the group of teens and waves over at them. "Are you guys ready to hit the road?"

"Everything's packed!" Megan chimes, beaming. Ray chuckles, patting her shoulder, before heading over to the train. The team follows suit shortly after, but Dick hesitates, glancing over at the tree once again. He could have sworn he saw something…

* * *

**December 23. 12:00pm.**

"I'm sorry, guys…I didn't know martians were susceptible to human illnesses." Megan states from the bed, looking up at her friends sadly.

"It's not your fault." Conner quickly defends, taking her hand. Dick's eyebrows knit as he slowly starts to pace the small room.

"When did you start feeling sick?"

"About an hour after we boarded the train."

"Ray touched her shoulder before we boarded." Conner states as Dick frowns.

"He rubbed my head before the show last night for good luck…"

"Jeez. That guy is like a walking petri dish." Wally sticks his tongue out in disgust, earning a smack from Artemis.

"Let's go check him out." Dick states, his eyes narrowing. "Something about him is just…off for some reason. Megan. Stay here and get some rest." She frowns, getting up.

"I'm coming with you."

"But-" She smiles softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"As a friend once told me: I'll manage." Dick smirks before heading off towards Ray's room. They run into Jack Haley in the hall and Dick pauses, looking up at him.

"Mr. Haley! Quick question. When did Ray start working for you?"

"Around the start of the foreign tour...why?"

"Just wondering. Have you seen him around, by chance?"

"Last time I saw him, he was headed to his room. Caught the same bug that's been going around, I'm afraid."

"We'll go check on him." Artemis states as they start heading down the hall once again.

"Are you sure?"

"It's no problem at all."

* * *

Once at the door to Ray's room, Conner uses his x-ray vision to see if anyone was in the room. The clone shakes his head, signaling that the room was empty. Dick makes quick work of the lock, allowing them to slip in, undetected.

"Spread out and look for anything suspicious." The others nod, starting to look through the room. Artemis lifts up the mattress and holds up a latex mask of that appeared to be Ray's face.

"Um. Guys? I found  _Ray_." She holds up the mask higher, showing her teammates. Roy raises an eyebrow, seeing a crate labeled 'Elephant Food'.

"Does this circus have an elephant?" Dick walks over to him, his eyes narrowing.

"Not on foreign tours." The archer opens the lid, revealing a bunch of syringes and viles labeled 'virus'. "Looks like this is the source of the illness that is going around. They all tense, hearing the sound of a gun's safety click off from the doorway.

"It's rude to go snooping around in someone's room." The man growls in a gruff voice, stepping into the room. The teens all turn to face the intruder. Dick's eyes widen upon seeing the man. It was the man from his nightmares. Tony Zucco stood before them, his grey hair slicked back like always and wearing a finely tailored black suit.

" _You_." Dick hisses in pure rage, balling a fist. Zucco raises an eyebrow, looking over at the boy.

"Yes?"

"How  _dare_  you set foot back here after what you've done!" The bird roars, lunging at the mob boss. Zucco tries to fire at the boy, but Dick flips out of the way before tackling him to the ground. "You son of a BITCH! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE!" Dick starts punching Zucco in the face ruthlessly, not pausing for a moment. Conner was quickly beside the bird, prying him off of the gangster. Dick thrashes against him, sending a death glare towards Zucco as the gangster stares at the boy in shock.

"Y-You're…" He suddenly grins, picking up his gun, and points it at the bird. "Long time, no see, Brat. Looks like I'll finally get to finish the job." Before he could get the shot off, Roy shoots the gun out of his hand with his bow and arrow. The gangster growls in annoyance, backing towards the door. "We'll play later, then." With that, he disappears out the door as Dick screams after him.

"Come back here!  _COWARD_!"

"Calm down!" Conner grumbles, trying to contain the thrashing bird. Dick glares back at him, and quickly hits several pressure points, causing the clone to collapse.

"You let him get away!"

"You need to  _calm down_! You could have killed him!" Artemis shouts, throwing her hands up in frustration. "What the hell's your problem?"

"He deserves to die. And now, because of all of you, he's getting away! He's going to destroy Geneva with that black hole! You're _useless_!" Dick hisses, storming out of the room. The rest of the team, aside from Wally, stares after him in shock.

"What…just happened?" The female archer manages to get out.

"We need to find the guy before Rob does…no doubt he'll do something he'll regret. We'll need to be there to stop him." Wally states before quietly heading out of the room.

"Well…it appears that things are getting even more interesting." Roy states, heading out of the room as well.


	3. Runaway Train

Wally quickly speeds to Dick's room, silently sighing with relief to see the bird still in there. "Dick."

"Not now, Wally." The acrobat hisses, loading his utility belt with weapons.

"We need to talk."

"I'm not in the mood. You're going to tell me not to do this, but I  _need_  to. None of you understand!"

"That's not what I was going to say." Wally states, taking a step towards his best friend. Dick pauses, looking up at him, allowing him to say his piece. "I'm not going to tell you not to go after him. Hell. I know you need to bring him down. Just let us come with you…we'll be there to back you up. But  _you_  will be the one to bring him to justice." The bird looks down, deep in thought.

"You won't get in my way?"

"No."

"And Megan will stay out of my head?"

"Consider it done."

"Fine." Dick grumbles, strapping his utility belt around his waist and places his domino mask over his eyes. "Let's move. He already has a head start. I won't let him ruin any more lives." Wally nods in agreement, following the bird out of the room.

 _I found him. He's in the front of the train, trying to disconnect the cars!_  Megan's voice comes through.  _We're headed there now. We'll meet up with you two there._

 _Alright. Thanks, guys. Do_ _ **not**_ _engage until I get there. Just keep an eye on him._  Dick orders, starting to run towards the front of the train with Wally right next to him.

* * *

 _I've never seen Robin like this…he's…almost scary._  Megan glances over at the other members of the team in the private mindlink she created with them.

 _They obviously have a past…and Robin's been acting weird the entire time we've been here…maybe it has something to do with this place?_  Artemis muses, sinking back further into the shadows as Zucco looks their way.

 _It's none of our business._  Conner snaps.  _It just proves that he actually has emotions like the rest of us_.

 _I'm just worried…there's so much anger and sadness radiating from him…_  Megan sways slightly from a mixture of the fever and the train moving. Before Conner could catch her, she falls to the ground right in Zucco's line of sight. The gangster smirks, picking up a crowbar from the bag of tools he was using to disconnect the carts.

"Well, well. Looks like you kids just can't take a hint." Conner quickly helps the martian up and pulls her behind him protectively. Suddenly, the crowbar in Zucco's hand gets knocked out by a birdarang. They all look in the direction the projectile came from to see Dick glaring daggers at the gangster. "Ah..looks like the Twerp decided to join the party."

"Shut  _up_." The bird hisses menacingly, whipping his bow staff out of his utility belt.

"Sorry, Birdie. You're too late." Zucco grins, unhooking the last pin that held the train cars together. Without thinking, Dick takes off running, and leaps through the air, landing on the car Zucco was still in. The gangster curses, throwing a punch, but Robin smacks his arm away with his bow staff.

"Robin!" Megan calls out worriedly as the front cars start to speed away from them.

"Stop the train. I'll take care of this bastard!" He calls after them as they stare after him in shock. Wally jumps off the train, disobeying the bird's order as his teammates call after him.

"I'll back him up! Catch up with us when you can!" The speedster hollers back to them as he races off to catch up with the front cars of the train. His eyes widen in horror as Zucco tackles Robin off the train. The two tumble down the side of the snowy mountain. "ROB!" Wally shouts, racing after his best friend. Dick cries out in pain as he tries to grab onto a tree to stop himself, but misses. It snaps his arm backwards, breaking it and dislocates his shoulder. The ginger finally catches up to the bird and scoops him up, speeding him down to the snow covered valley. Wally looks down at his best friend, who was covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises as he clutches his left, broken, arm in agony.

"D-Damnit."

"You alright?"

"I will be…I need you to do me a favor though…" Dick shifts, and Wally takes the hint, letting him down. "Can you reset my shoulder?" The bird gasps out between waves of agony.

"Are you sure?" Dick nods, bracing himself. "Alright…I'm sorry in advanced." Wally takes his best friend's left shoulder and takes a deep breath before snapping it back into place. Dick cries out in anguish before shoving his right fist in his mouth to muffle his shouts. He quickly rips a strip of his cape off and winces as he tries to tie it into a sling. Catching on, Wally helps the bird tie the sling.

"Thanks." Dick smiles gratefully as Wally nods, grinning as well.

"Anytime, Bro." They both jump backwards as a bullet hits the ground right in front of them. Zucco grins, battered and bruised, pointing a pistol at the two teens.

"You two have really tested my patience." He cocks the gun, loading another bullet into the chamber. Wally braces himself, ready to use his superspeed to grab the gun, when suddenly a green arrow shoots it out of the villain's hand. Zucco growls in annoyance, glaring at the four other teen heroes that were making their way down the mountain to help out their teammates. He pulls out a dart gun, smirking darkly. "Well, then. Why don't we see how well this virus works on metas."


	4. Sweet Justice

Note:  _*Recording*_

* * *

Just as Wally gets ready to take off towards Zucco, the gangster fires the dart gun at the ginger, hitting him in chest. Kid Flash cries out in pain, falling to the ground as the syringe that was embedded in his chest starts to empty its contents into his bloodstream.

"KF!" Dick calls out, kneeling beside his best friend. He quickly yanks out the syringe, and puts pressure on the small wound with uninjured hand.

"I'll be fine…" Wally winces, trying to sit up. He pauses as his head starts to spin, feeling all of his strength drain away. "Just…give me a second…go kick that bastard's ass." Dick hesitates but the speedster nods him forward. The bird runs at Zucco and tries to kick him, but the mobster ducks out of the way, and shoots the unsuspecting clone in the chest as well with the dart gun. Conner growls, yanking the dart out, only to sway slightly when the virus hits him.

"Oh, and I modified the virus since you've had it last, Birdie. It's fast-acting now." Zucco smirks, seeing the martian helping to support the clone. Artemis and Roy dive behind rocks to get to safety as Zucco points the gun in their direction. Dick roundhouse kicks the mobster in the kneecap, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to his knees. Just before the bird gets a chance to kick him again, Zucco recovers, punching Dick in the gut. Robin coughs, having the wind knocked out of him, and stumbles back. The mobster scrambles to his feet as arrows fly towards him via the hidden archers. Zucco grabs Robin by his broken arm and pulls the thirteen-year-old in front of himself as a shield.

"Just shoot him!" Dick grinds out to his teammates as he winces in pain, trying to free himself from his enemy's hold. The archers ignore the order, ceasing fire. Zucco grins darkly, using Dick's previously dislocated shoulder to rest his gun and fires at the archers. Artemis cries out as a dart hits her in the arm. She curses under her breath, ripping it out. Only half of the virus had a chance to enter her bloodstream, but it was still enough to slow her down. Dick swings his head back, making contact with Zucco's nose, breaking it. The mobster curses, stumbling back, and holds his nose in agony. Seeing his chance to end the fight, Robin runs at him, pulling out a birdarang, ready to strike. Zucco quickly releases his throbbing nose, still seeing white, and pulls out a recorder from his pocket. Without having to see the device, he hits play, grinning smugly. Upon hearing the familiar circus music, Dick stops dead, his eyes widening in horror.

_*"Ladies and Gentleman! Now for the moment you've all been waiting for! The Flying Graysons!" Haley's gruff voice reverberates as the crowd roars in excitement.*_

Dick starts to tremble, dropping the birdarang. "N-No!"

_*"Martha Grayson!" The crowd goes wild. "And her husband, John Grayson! They perform their death-defying act without a safety net! Tonight, we have a very special treat for you! For the first time, their son, Dick Grayson, will be joining them!" The crowd cheers again, and awes in amazement as the acrobats soaring through the air before them.*_

Silent tears start to roll down Dick's cheeks as his right arm drops limply to his side. He stares off, not seeing the scene before him as the memories of that dreadful night flood back.

"Robin!" Wally calls out, staggering to his feet and tries to make his way over to the frozen bird. Zucco smirks as he makes his way over to the pistol that had been knocked out of his hand. Conner lunges at the mobster, roaring furiously, unsure what he had done to their friend.

"What did you do to him?" He growls, grabbing the villain by his shirt and yanks him back. Zucco spins around, pistol-whipping the clone across the face. Conner grunts, staggering back, shocked by the fact that it actually hurt.

"Conner!" Megan cries, rushing to his side. She tries to use her telekinesis to throw the gangster, but her eyes widen when her powers didn't respond. Zucco kicks her in the stomach and punches Conner in the face, sending the two stumbling back. They look to Robin as Artemis and Roy jump out of their hiding spot to join the fight. Dick was still frozen, his breathing becoming shallow.

* _There is a snap when the crowd suddenly gasps in horror and starts to scream. "NO!" A young boy shouts in terror. Suddenly all goes quiet as a sickening crunch echoes through the tent.*_

Dick collapses to the ground, covering his ear with the hand not in the sling as he starts to sob. Wally drops down next to him, looking over him nervously, unsure what to do.

"Rob! Snap out of it!"

_*"MOMMY! DADDY!" The boy cries out heartbrokenly. "NO! You can't leave me!" He sobs, calling out for them over and over again as police sirens approach in the background. "Please…don't leave me." He whispers between heart wrenching sobs. "Come back…please…please…." *_

The recording stops, as Dick continues to shake on the snowy ground, trapped in the memory. Wally looks over to his teammates, frowning when he sees that they were losing; diving backwards as Zucco shoots his pistol at them. He turns back to his best friend and starts to shake him.

"Wake  _up_! We need you! You're stronger than this! Don't let him do this to you!" Wally slaps Dick across the face, causing the bird to jump. Robin looks up at him slowly. "Show him that he doesn't have control over you! We need you, Richard!" Dick looks over to his team, seeing Artemis get punched brutally in the face. Roy catches her as she falls to the ground, unconscious. Dick's eyes narrow as he tries to get up. Wally grins, helping his best friend up. "Now that's more like it."

"I'll make him pay for this." Dick growls menacingly, pulling out brass knuckles from his utility belt. He puts them on his only free hand before yanking out several birdarangs. Dick races towards Zucco and flips out of the way when the gangster fires at him. He tosses the birdarangs at the villain, knocking the weapons out of his hands. Before Zucco could get his bearings, Dick was in front of him. The bird punches him in the face, using all of his body weight to strengthen the blow. Zucco staggers backwards, grunting in pain. Without letting up, Robin moves in, sweeping the mobster's feet out from under him. As Zucco falls to the ground, Dick punches him in the face again, breaking his jaw, then ax-kicks him the rest of the way to the ground. The rest of his team stares at him in alarm as Dick trembles in rage, glaring hatefully down at the now unconscious villain. He kicks the mobster, hard, one last time in the ribs, cracking a few, before taking a deep breath to try to calm himself.

"Robin…? Are you alright?" Megan asks tentatively, eying the still shaking bird.

"What I want to know is how the hell he learned all of those tricks!" Conner growls, picking himself off the ground from where he had collapsed earlier.

"Zucco and his family were a part of a circus before he became associated in the mafia. Hence his interest in Haley's." A deep voice growls from behind them. They all jump, aside from Robin and the still unconscious Artemis, and turn to face the newcomer. Batman makes his way to his bird, not even bothering to look at the other members of the team. "The League is on the way to take him into custody and treat everyone's injuries." They all nod as Batman comes to stand beside his partner. Robin suddenly hugs his mentor tightly, burying his face into the Bat's chest as he clutches onto the front of his uniform. Without missing a beat, Batman wraps his cape around his bird protectively and returns the hug. He sends a chilling glare down at Zucco before scooping Robin up, still hiding him under his cape, and walks off without another word.

"What…just happened?" Conner asks, confused.

"DaddyBats." Wally states before sitting down in the snow to await the League's arrival.

"Is he going to be alright?" Megan asks, staring after the heroes of Gotham.

"Bats will take care of him."

* * *

In the Batmobile, Robin stares out the window hollowly as Bruce glances over to his protégé. "Your parents would be proud of you, Dick." Dick finally looks over to his adoptive father, his domino mask long removed.

"How do you know that? I should have killed him! He deserves to die for what he's done!" They pull into the Batcave and Bruce turns to face him, pulling his cowl down.

"Dick. They would never want you to become a murderer. Especially not for their sake." The bird looks down, clenching his fist.

"I…I shouldn't have cracked. I was weak today…I should have done more!" Bruce places a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder and raises his son's chin up to look at him with his other hand.

"You were anything but weak. It takes so much strength to do what you've done. You brought justice to the man who took everything from you without crossing the line. I don't think  _I_  even could have done that. Never call yourself weak, Dick. You are the strongest person I know." Dick's eyes water as he hugs Bruce again, crying softly.

"Don't leave me too…" The bird whispers softly. "Please…I can't lose you too…"

"I'll do everything in my power to stay with you." Bruce wraps his arms around his son, pulling him closer. "I'll always protect you." Dick nods, sniffling. "Now, let's go. I'm sure Alfred's waiting for us with some hot chocolate and the first aid kit."

"Ok…thanks, Dad." Bruce ruffles his hair affectionately before getting out of the Batmobile to meet the patiently waiting butler. Dick wipes his eyes, and gets out as well to join his father.

* * *

It was a week before Robin returned to Mount Justice. As soon as the computer announced the bird's arrival, the team rushes over to the zeta transporter to greet him. Robin's arm was still in a sling, but one important thing was missing from his typical civilian attire. His signature sunglasses. They all stare at him in shock, unsure how to react. Dick looks down sadly, taking a deep breath. "I owe you all an explanation. Can we go sit down?" They all nod, walking off to the living room. The team sits on the sofa, all creating a half circle around the bird.

"Ok. Spill it. You're freaking me out!" Artemis exclaims, leaning forward to hear his story.

"The last mission we were on…as I'm sure you already know, it wasn't assigned by Batman…"

"We figured that when the League showed up rather pissed that we 'snuck off'." Artemis states.

"It's just…" Dick stares at the ground, fidgeting with his shoelace. "Haley's is where I grew up…I couldn't let it shut down…I knew Jack had nothing to do with the thefts…" He looks up at them, smiling sadly. "Nice to officially meet you all. Name's Dick Grayson."

"So…the boy on that recording…it was you, wasn't it?" Megan asks sadly. Dick nods slowly.

"I was nine when…it happened…Bruce took me in…he saved my life…I honestly don't know where I would be if he didn't…that orphanage was worse than Arkham." Dick shutters at the memory as Artemis's eyes widen in shock.

"Wait…you're  _the_  Dick Grayson? As in, adoptive son of Bruce Wayne? Wait! Batman is  _Bruce Wayne?_ " She nearly shrieks before Wally elbows her in the ribs.

"This is hard for him! Give him a break!"

"You  _knew_? For how long?"

"A couple of years…he told me back when one of the hostages we were trying to save fell to their deaths…" Dick frowns, nodding slowly.

"I kind of had a panic attack. It took Bruce over an hour to calm me down…though it  _was_  kind of amusing how he blamed you and chewed you out…you looked like you were going to wet yourself." Dick smirks as Wally gasps, appalled.

"I was not  _that_  scared!" Robin raises a skeptic eyebrow. "Ok…so, I was freaked out…but you would be too if you had to face the wrath of DaddyBats!" Wally throws his arms up dramatically. "I couldn't sleep for a week!"

"Getting back on topic." Artemis mutters, smacking the back of the speedster's head. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Dick sighs, looking up at them seriously.

"I didn't want you to treat me any differently…to pity me…I don't want pity. It's just easier if no one knows about my past."

"We wouldn't dream of it!" Megan exclaims, scooting closer to him. "You're our friend…don't ever think we would treat you differently. We're family." She smiles warmly as the others nod in agreement.

"Thanks…for helping me stop Zucoo." Roy nods, and gets up, patting Dick on the shoulder.

"Of course. We would never abandon you." Megan gets up as well and floats over to the bird, hugging him.

"Now, why don't I bake you some fresh double chocolate chip cookies?" Dick beams up at her.

"Thanks, Miss M." She nods happily, floating off to the kitchen as Conner follows after her. Artemis looks between the bird and the ginger before following the rest of the team into the kitchen to give them some privacy. Dick glances over at Wally, who was sends him an understanding nod.

"No thanks needed, Bro. I'll always have your back." With that, the speedster hops up, and struts over to the TV. "And now, to demolish you in video games!" Dick snorts, rolling his eyes.

"In your dreams!"

_**End** _


End file.
